Early Care and Education Professionals

The Child Care Coordination Office provides a variety of services to support early care and education professionals in the City of Irvine.

Market Your Program 

City of Irvine 

The Child Care Coordination Office maintains a listing of all licensed Child Care Programs in the City of Irvine to be included on the Finding Child Care webpage and interactive map for families seeking care.  To add or update your program’s information, please click here to complete the form.   

Children’s Home Society (CHS)

CHS’ Resource and Referral (R&R) Department connects parents, child care providers, and the community to a wide range of resources that strengthen families and support the healthy development of children.

CHS referrals are free and include detailed information regarding the services you provide, including: hours of operation, fees, current openings, ages of children served, special eligibility requirements and other significant program information.  Records are updated quarterly, based on the information you provide to CHS, to ensure that information provided to families seeking referrals is accurate and complete. 

To become a part of CHS' R&R database click here or contact the CHS Kidcare Hotline at 714-543-2273 or 949-364-6605. 

Program Quality Enhancement 

Professional Development Opportunities

The Child Care Coordination Office compiles this list of recorded webinars, self-paced online training modules and resources for individuals caring for children. In addition, coaching and consultation services are listed for programs in Orange County needing assistance.

Child Development Permit 

Child Development Permits are issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. A variety of permits are available that authorize the holder to provide different levels of service in the care, development, and instruction of children in a child care and development program and, at some levels, supervise other permit holders.  Child care programs that receive funding from the State of California to provide subsidized child care to income eligible families require staff members to hold a Child Development Permit. To view the different levels of child development permits, application packet requirements, and course work requirements, click here.

To apply for, renew, or upgrade a Child Development Permit visit the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). 

The Child Development Training Consortium Permit Stipend Program pays the permit application fee to the CTC for eligible applicants. 

Child Resource Center (CRC)

The CRC is a member-based lending library for families and early childhood education professionals.  The CRC Lending Library offers resources and materials to support your role as an educator and care provider. 

Quality Start OC

A community partnership, led by the Orange County Department of Education, focused on raising the quality of early learning programs across the county.  Quality Start OC supports educators and care providers who are seeking to improve the quality of their programs. This includes the Qualitly Start OC Professional Learning Calendar that provides continuous quality improvement and to strengthen Orange County's Early Childhood Workforce. 

Child Development and Curriculum Resources 

The Child Care Coordination Office compiles this list of online resources for individuals caring for children in order to support all areas of children’s development from birth through elementary age. Resources for parents are also included to share with the families you serve. 

Developmental Screening

Screening young children is an effective, efficient way for professionals and educators to check a child’s development, help parents celebrate their child’s milestones and know what to look for next, and determine whether follow-up steps are needed. It’s also an essential first step toward identifying children with delays or disorders in the critical early years, before they start school.  

The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) developmental screening tool is a parent-completed questionnaire that early childhood programs can utilize with the families in their program to track progress in areas of communication, social skills, motor skills, and problem-solving skills.  

Early childhood programs may choose to implement and administer ASQ directly with families or parents can complete an online ASQ with their child for free through Help Me Grow Orange County, or Pretend City. In person screening is conducted monthly through the Family Support Network, click here to view the schedule of upcoming screening events. Early childhood programs can also receive updates and track children’s progress through the free OC Children's Screening Registry

Improve Inclusive Practice in Your Program 

Inclusion is the practice of educating and caring for children with special needs in the same environment or setting as their typically developing peers.  But “inclusion” is more than participation, it’s about belonging.  Belonging is the feeling of being part of something and mattering to others.  A sense of belonging occurs when each child is fully engaged, supported to reach their full potential and ALL children are treated with dignity and respect as a valued member of the classroom community. 

Inclusion Pathway - This free online self-paced, self-study tool is a one stop shop for early childhood classroom teachers and caregivers and administrators. Whether you are new to the concept of “Inclusion”, want to learn about the newest resources and information to refine your inclusive practices or are looking for resources specific to supporting children with challenging behaviors, this is the place for you!  Start by completing the self-assessment to help you determine which area of the self-study tool to begin with.  No matter where you are now, each step you take in this educational journey will improve the experience of all children in your program and will help ensure that your program is open to, and truly accessible for all children, no matter their individual needs.   

California MAP to Inclusion & Belonging: Making Access Possible - The mission of the MAP to Inclusion & Belonging… Making Access Possible, is to create a statewide system of support, training and resources that gives all families and providers barrier-free access to inclusive child care.

To learn more about the laws related to individuals with disabilities please visit: 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - a federal law that states people with disabilities are entitled to equal rights in employment, state and local public services, and public accommodations such as preschools, child care centers and family child care homes. 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - a federal law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. 

Get Connected! 

Irvine Child Care Committee 

The Child Care Committee is an advisory body of the City of Irvine, reporting to the Community Services Commission, providing input on the needs of the community pertaining to child care related issues.  The Committee works collaboratively with City departments and community organizations to enhance the provision of child care and early education services, providing outreach, and serving as a liaison to the community by informally sharing information learned at meetings, promoting City events for families and early childhood educators and sharing questions, concerns and ideas from the community with the Committee.  Irvine Child Care Committee meetings are open to the public.  

OC Child Care and Development Planning Council 

The Orange County Child Care and Development Planning Council, appointed by the Orange County Board of Supervisors and Orange County Superintendent of Schools, teams with the community to help meet the child care needs of Orange County.  Council members are interested in issues dealing with all aspects of child care and development, including: 

  • Safety 
  • Quality child care 
  • Development of child care workforce 
  • Accessibility of services for child development 

OC Child Care and Development Planning Council meetings are open to the public.   

The OC Child Care and Development Planning Council provides a Weekly Round-Up of information, resources, recent changes to child care regulations and pending legislation via email. To join the Planning Council email list, please click here.